Nola Concert Grands
- Thread starter Elliot G.
- Start date
I bet you need Stillpoints, though
Nope. They came with floor/carpet slides and that's how they sit. Best speakers ever made.
lol!
Edit: Myles, I need that. I just found out about a death in the family (someone close to me) and I really needed a smile. Thank you.
I posted that as a reply, meant as a joke of sorts, but not totally. Please don't make this the subject of the discussion. Not now.
We are always watching.
You're all big boys who can handle yourselves in a fair fight. We'll step in if the eye-gouging, crotch banging and use of deadly weapons starts.Getting this thread back on track, what specifically does this Nola model do that lesser Nola models cannot do?
Also, does anyone understand the ARC/ Nola synergy? Does Nola work well with other tube brands, or pretty much ARC? And does Nola have any synergy at all with SS?
Also, does anyone understand the ARC/ Nola synergy? Does Nola work well with other tube brands, or pretty much ARC? And does Nola have any synergy at all with SS?
I think the concert grands extend the articulation that is found in his speakers all the way through the entire music bandwidth. I mean by this that the speaker has the same level of speed and detail from the lowest notes in the bass all the way through the top end extension of the ribbons. This gives one the feeling that the speakers not only disappear in the room but you are listening to a real event. On good live records for example one has the sense of the room, the air in the room, the height width and length of the environment and it does all of this without any sense of strain. This sense of total transparency is in my opinion unique to a very few select speakers.
I have had speakers do some of this before but with maybe one other experience I have not a speaker do all of this at the same time consistently.
It is a time machine!
Carl uses ARC gear and so that is his reference. I have tried other Nola speakers with some other tube and transistor gear. I used the Mac 2300 and 2301 amps ( really good sound amplifiers by the way) and have used some solid state products like Krell and Brystons with good results however I am a tube lover and think that the two products I tried ( ARC and Mac) really brought out of the speaker the things that I truly enjoy.
If Elliot is a dealer he can email one to you, otherwise I think you can email Carl and he will reply (I did this when I was considering the KO's for purchase)
When you say "lesser models" are you referring to speakers like his Micro, Metro and Baby Grands or the tier below. I have had the Micro and Baby Grands before moving to the Concert Grands. I am not looking to get into a war of speakers and which is best, but to my ears and from my past and present experience I have never heard a speaker that does as much as well as the Concert Grands. As I have stated before on many threads I tend to be a little speaker person, hence why I started with the Micro Grands. I have always enjoyed and preferred the overall texture, timbre and sound stage sans low bass that a monitor can reproduce. During my audiophile dealer days, ProAc and Celestion being lines I sold, I LOVED the Tablette and SL600. When I became a buyer instead of a dealer, I had Avalons and Wilson. The Avalons were excellent but the models I had were trumped by the excellent Wilson Watt/Puppies to which I added a Whow. I made a huge mistake moving to the X1s as they, for me lost the intimacy of what I loved about the WATT/PUPPY while providing a more refined bass I was left empty.
The Micro, Metro and Baby all have a similar sound signature as does the Concert Grand to a certain extent. The open and three dimensional image and incredible texture is palpable and surreal. The Concert does it like no other speaker I have ever heard. There is absolutely NO fatigue. Given my past experience I was VERY hesitant not only to move from the Micro to the Baby but from the Baby to the Concert as well. No speaker disappears like the Concert Grands. No speaker I have heard is as coherent top to bottom like the Concert and unlike so many other speakers lower octaves are remarkable without having to pump up the SPL and likewise is remarkably coherent when pumping up the SPL. Looking at the Nola one sees a bunch of disparate drivers thrown into a box and most sensible people would question what's the big deal. Listening to them quickly tells you what the big deal is.
Furthermore I was able to get a pair of Magico Q1s and Constellation Centaur stereo amp while I also had the Baby Grands. Given the price I got I was thinking about using them for a second location for my second home. To make a long story short, I had them for about 4 months so I had ample time to set them up, experiment and switch out gear. I understand why the Q1s are loved by many but from my perch were not a close call to the Micro or Baby Grands. I sold them, which brings me to your question regarding electronics.
I have used the McIntosh MC2301 dual monos with the Micro and Baby Grands, the Constellation with Baby Grands, the REF250s with the Micro, Baby and Concert Grands and the REF75 with the Baby and Concert Grands. In all cases the REF5SE served as my front end until I replaced it with the REF10 after selling the Magico Q1s (incidentally I was using the MIT Matrix HD 90 REV 1 speaker cables as well as matching ICs with the Magicos).
I found the Constellation to work very well with the Magicos but for the lack of a better word sucked with the Nolas. I also found the REF250s to sound inferior to the Constellation with the Q1s. I can go into more detail if you like regarding the differences but this is already getting long winded. No doubt the Baby Grands were meant to have tubes. As compared to the MC2301 and the REF250s, having been one of the first to hear the latter, it took no longer than a day for me to make up my mind the REF250s were the better amps. I got mine before Carl ever saw his. In fact I may have been the first to post about the REF250s after the post regarding their introduction.
I trust Carl and his recommendations, more so with time that at first. I was skeptical about many of his recommendations, especially when it came to the REF75. I demoed one before my Concert Grands came and can state the REF250s were better. However, when the Concert Grands came I again demoed the REF75 and was amazed. Likewise as compared to the REF75 the REF250s, while excellent with the Concert Grands did not work as well with the Concert Grands. It is an amazing synergy.
Lastly up until the point of taking the Concert Grands I was trying various speaker cables and interconnects. I found the MG Audios to work extremely well with the Micro and Baby Grands, better than many cables costing 5x the price. They became my standard. When I took delivery of the Concert Grands, the Valhalla 2s were being released and on a whim and quirk in circumstances tried them. Again, it was one of those moments when you know it is "just right". Just the other day, Carl sent me a loaner Odin Power Cord to try with the Concert Grand as he said "I haven't heard the system yet if I haven't tried the Odin into the REF75". Well he was once again dead on.
I know a dealer who sells Nola in addition to Kronzilla and VAC and loves both with the NOLA. He is not a dealer for ARC so I can't vouch as to which is better, but given the price of the REF75 it may indeed be the best deal in high end audio at the absurd prices of the equipment I am referring to above.
Yes, in my opinion there is DEFINITELY a synergy with ARC and Nordost and while a manufacturer doesn't want to pigeon hole themselves to particular products, NOLA do sound best with tubes (in my experience ARC) and Nordost. I find nothing wrong with a manufacturer building a "system" and the buyer is not chained to the manufacturers choices and as I said, I did my exploring and demoing but in the end came to the same conclusion as Carl.
One thing about placement. I tend to like a "near field" experience. I have a large room, 24 x 30. In my last house, I had a "dedicated" sound room that was built with the help of Jeff Rowland that was "superb". To my surprise this room sounds better without all the investment and with minimal acoustical treatment. All of my Nolas wind up in nearly the same location as the others after nudging them to the right locations ("nudging" the Concerts are no easy task). The Concert's are now about 72" out from the rear wall whereas my Babys were about 66" from the rear wall. I believe this is the sweet spot from the rear wall for the Concert Grands. I still not 100% but I am VERY close to where they have to go. The other thing about NOLAs that I love is how easy they are to setup as no toe in, etc is required. The sweet spot is huge.
In summary, the Concert Grands are a unique speaker. I am not here to debate the merits of them over other wonderful speakers in this price range but for me, the telling tale is that I can't wait to get home to listen and I find myself just wanting to listen rather than "analyze". I am totally content to listen for hours on end, not to compare how this sounds versus that and am very impressed with what I have. For better or WORSE even my wife now loves to listen, something that was an anathema to her for the last 25 years as she though the whole concept of what we audiophiles do was absurd. I know I keep using the word "intimate" often to describe these gems, but they truly are. They provide subtle detail that is unique, disappear like no other and are simple to drive hence the reason why the REF75 works so well. Yes, the Concert Grands more than most speakers are probably a "system" designed around certain components like the REF75 and Nordost but the end product is amazing, so who cares.
what is it you want to know
Retail prices are:
Grand Ref Series 6 gold- 298,000
Concert grand rEF Gold- 197,000
Baby Grand Gold 72,000
Metro grand gold- 33000
micro grand gold- 21000
KO 9800.00
Thanks Eliot - I wanted to have an idea of the prices to understand how they compare with other brands.
Bravo!!!!! Sublime write up!
Can the speakers rock? Can they do justice to Led Zeppelin?
Yes the speakers can definitely rock. They can definitely do justice to Zeppelin or any other rock group. If you love live concerts, I recommend giving them a listen and you will think you are literally playing in the band.
I have had a PS Audio, ARC DAC8, Meitner DAC2X, tried the MSB Analog and am currently using an MSB Diamond Plus. The DAC8 was very good but for me the MSB is significantly better and I love it.
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